US spill control equipment company acquires Scandinavian technology

Elastec/American Marine, headquartered in Carmi, Illinois has announced the acquisition of the BoomVane technology, expanding its range in the manufacture of innovative pollution control equipment.

Developed and patented by ORC of Sweden, the BoomVane is an aquatic paravane system that enables oil recovery and debris containment booms to be towed by a single vessel, as well as to deploy booms in rivers and tidal waters without boats or anchors.

Elastec/American Marine is the largest manufacturer of oil spill recovery equipment in North America with global distribution in 145 countries.

During the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico, CEO Donnie Wilson managed the controlled burning of oil for BP America with a team of employees and response contractors.

The company's fire boom systems were responsible for containing and disposing of more oil than any other systems during the burn operation.

Transferring manufacturing and marketing to Elastec/American Marine, ORC will continue with the development of new oil spill recovery techniques. The current focus is a paravane-based system for a single vessel with wide swath dispersant application.

An offshore prototype was successfully deployed during the Oil-On-Water exercise conducted by the Norwegian Clean Seas Association for Operation Companies (NOFO) in Norway in June of this year.

Over 400 BoomVanes have been supplied around the world, helping responders to quickly and efficiently contain and/or deflect oil to protect shorelines and sensitive aquatic habitats.